


Now There Is No Choice

by childishillusions



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-07 21:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5471927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childishillusions/pseuds/childishillusions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy readies himself to kill Doctor Ripley in Stillbend. Unfortunately a couple of memories haunt him as he prepares to take the shot, facilitating his capture.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now There Is No Choice

Percy was very meticulously going over every piece of his Pepperbox, making sure that every piece of the intricate weapon was working perfectly, and that each time he clicked the trigger, that the barrels shifted seamlessly and as quickly as he had crafted them to do so. Once he was satisfied that the weapon was as perfect as he was capable of making it, he checked each and every bullet he carefully slid into each chamber. Each bullet was uniform and perfectly formed. He made sure that the bullets in the coat pocket he carried them in were also perfect, discarding a couple of the former iron ingots were slightly malformed. He checked and double checked that the pouch he had extra black powder in was securely at his side and that the explosive component was completely dry.

The exiled moment squared his shoulders, closing his eyes briefly as he took in a couple of steadying breaths as a small smirk appeared on his face. He knew where _she_ was staying, and where his former torturer would probably be at this time of the day. Percival had been observing Doctor Ripley as best as he could for a week now. He made sure to keep a discrete distance and to disguise himself the best he could so that she would not recognize them – then again with his hair having turned white that might have given him the cover he needed, but the tinkerer had been careful, just in case.

Still, part of him hesitated a little as he started to walk towards the central library, gun in hand as he walked purposefully towards her. He whispered sternly to himself “Now there is no choice: I must put aside the fears I feel inside.” He needed to avenge his family, and while Percival knew that he did not have the strength to challenge the Briarwoods in Whitestone he should be able to assassinate Ripley, and take one of the names off The List.

“There’s no place to hide!” The noble muttered to himself, a frown appearing on his face as he glanced around the very open town square. He distantly noticed that there were a few city guards, but his focus was almost entirely on the _creature_ who had tortured him for her own sadistic pleasure.

The sense of purpose and the anticipation of getting some of the revenge that his dearly beloved family filled Percy’s chest and steadied his slightly trembling arms as he whispered to himself in order to give himself one last, small boost of confidence as he picked the spot from which he would shoot Ripley – and if he had any luck at all – kill her. “So it comes to this: One great golden chance that only I can take. When everything I fought for is at stake!” He fought back memories and lost for a couple of seconds.

_Her twisted smile in the flickering candle light as Doctor Ripley caused his throat to tighten in fear as she reached for a strange, small blade that Percival had never seen before. “Young lord De Rolo, this is a scalpel. It is normally used to cut out small pieces of flesh that are rotten, or warts before the small wounds are healed. Some scalpels are enchanted with a healing spell of their own, which at a command, the person wielding it will heal the wound. I have recently acquired a set and I am curious to find out whether these are enchanted or not. Fear not, little lordling, I will not kill you. They want you breathing, so alive you shall remain.”_

_~_

_Percy had learned very quickly that trying to struggle against his chains was a very bad idea. When he fought against Ripley with what strength he had, Ripley activated the spell on the chains and lightening arced through his body, forcing his limbs to go rigid and his face set in a grimace of pain. The young de Rolo had also learned that keeping silent when he could physically move his body and speak – or cry out – was also folly when he was in her cruel clutches. He had fought against his body’s desire to whimper and scream in pain – to beg for her mercy the first few times she had taken him from his cell to **play** with him and she had taken his silence as a challenge. _

_He knew this because she told him as such. When he screamed she laughed in pleasure at the sound before healing him up with her magic just enough to make sure he didn’t die before throwing him into a cell._

_~_

_Doctor Ripley enjoying torturing him emotionally as well – when the mood took her, and he was bound on that damned table she would bring out the bodies of his dead brothers and sisters. She would mockingly tell her of how they died – weeping in some cases, raving against them or desperately trying to protect the others. Pleading for their own lives or for the lives of the other. “Did you know, Percival, that Julius and Vesper in particular mentioned before they died that **you** in particular would be useful as you were brilliant and had a scientific and enquiring mind. That you would be able to make wondrous things if allowed to live. Given the contraptions we found in your room – and the other trinkets in your family’s personal rooms that were made in a similar fashion… Your older siblings are right. You will be of so much use, dear Percival. Soon Lord Briarwood will come to ask you to join him and I rather suspect that you will eagerly serve him.”_

The exiled noble found an alleyway that had partial cover, but was close enough to the vile doctor that he would be able to shoot her. The alleyway was dirty – the cobblestones in this part of Stillbend were much more worn down than at the port, where the stones which had been used for ballast were unloaded. It made his footing a little tricky, but after a couple more seconds he was certain that the kickback wouldn’t cause him to falter or to have to scramble to get into a second position in order to shoot her again, as Percy was fairly certain that he would have to shoot her at least three times before she would go down. “To make the mark that only I can make!” With even sweet Cassandra dead – felled by the arrows of some of the Briarwoods’ men, he was the only one left who could avenge his family.

Percival leveled his weapon at Ripley, aiming for her chest as it was a larger target than her head and pulled the trigger. The deafening bang seemed to be magnified between the tall buildings he was hiding between. The sound disorientated the exiled noble and he raised a hand to his head, whimpering slightly as he fought to clear his mind.

In seconds the guards were upon him, dragging him out of the alleyway. One of them growled “I don’t know why or how you made such a loud fucking noise, but you’ve been stalking a noblewoman for the past week and we won’t have that nonsense, boy! It’s to the dungeon you’re going and where you’ll stay until we figure out what to do with _you_.”

~

At least in this dungeon they fed him regularly and didn’t torture him. It was more than a little stupid of them to have just thrown him in here. He had been trying to pick the locks on his manacles with his tinkering kit for the past couple of days now, and was fairly certain he was close to freedom.

“I am pretty certain you’re doing that wrong.” A feminine voice called out with amusement. An _unfamiliar_ female voice as there were a couple of guards who were women, but she had a distinctly Syngorian accent. When he looked up he saw a pretty half-elven woman peering at him through the small window in the bars of his cell.


End file.
